London Underground ups trainee numbers

London Underground Limited (LUL) is boosting its in-house legal function by increasing the number of trainees in the team.

The tube network operator, which hired two trainees last year and retained all three trainees who joined in 2005, has just closed its application deadline for the new positions.

Theres a large volume of applicants each year. Its very stiff competition, said Baljinder Nijjar, a senior lawyer in the private finance initiative (PFI) team.

Successful applicants will each spend a six-month stint in the contracts, property, disputes or strategic public-private partnership (PPP) teams.

The trainees will be paid 24,500 annually and will also enjoy free travel on the tube and bus services, along with private healthcare benefits.

Nijar added that applicants need to have a 2:1 degree and must have completed and passed the Legal Practice Course to qualify. Further, good communication, analytical and problem-solving skills are required.

LULs legal team of approximately 33 lawyers caters for the PPP and PFI divisions of the network and manages the legal aspects of the PPP contracts relating to Tube Lines and Metronet. The team is currently embroiled in the administration of failed operator Metronet.

The team also recently announced the creation of a joint law firm panel with Transport for London consisting of Berwin Leighton Paisner, Bird & Bird, Clifford Chance, Eversheds, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, Manches, Simmons & Simmons and Travers Smith.